Hello Thomas, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello everyone, my name is Thomas Pellerin, I'm 38 and I live in the Centre Val de Loire region, more precisely in Tours (37).
I fish for all predators, but my favorite fish is pike, which I seek out from the shore, wading and float tubing. The places I fish most are the Cher and, of course, our magnificent Loire.
I also do a lot of street fishing and float tube competitions, which helped me to be spotted by my current sponsor Delalande.
Can you tell us about your early days in fishing?
As my parents had a pond, I started fishing for carp with bread and corn as a child. Then carnivorous fish arrived in my teens. Back then, cell phones didn't exist, so we had to keep ourselves busy in other ways (laughs).
I'd take my bike, a fishing rod, a backpack with a box of lures and go pike stalking as best I could. Later, as a young adult, I gave up fishing because the sport took up so much of my time.
I really got back into it around the age of 30, when I started competing, and thanks to that I've learned and progressed enormously.
When, how and why did you agree to become a Pro-Staff?
I was contacted at the beginning of 2024 and then officially joined Delalande at the beginning of October 2024. My good results in competition played in my favor.
When I first heard from Delalande that he was interested in my profile, I was like a kid. When I was a child, I used to look at the photos with stars in my eyes and read the articles in the magazines, and today I'm one of those people. It was a childhood dream.
What does being an ambassador mean to you?
It's an honor to represent a French brand like Delalande.
It means a lot to me, sharing, informing, advising and even spending hours on the water to fine-tune, progress and understand fish behavior even better.
I find it rewarding to be able to help develop new products (lures, lead heads...) and test them before marketing. I also get to represent our brand at trade shows, events and competitions.
What's your fondest memory or anecdote from your time as a Pro-Staff?
My fondest memory since joining Delalande is undoubtedly my new pike record from the shore in street fishing. A magnificent 112 cm caught with the indispensable Spinnerflex. A product placement (laughs).
Having just arrived in the Delalande house, I don't really have any anecdotes yet, but between the lounges and the fishing planned with the other members of the staff, I have no doubt that they'll come quickly.
What do you think of fishing in France?
To be honest with you, my peach is a little sore.
Between pollution, poor environmental management and poaching, which in my region is a scourge.
Unfortunately, we can't change people's minds just like that, but with the new generation arriving, who I think see our passion in a different light, we'll surely manage to change a few rules that I believe are fundamental if we want to keep our passion and our magnificent nature alive.
Any advice for anglers who want to join a Pro-Staff team one day?
The advice I can give them is to go to the water's edge as soon as they can and fish, fish, fish. Hours, days on end, learning as much as they can about fish behavior along the way.
Don't hesitate to use social networks to share your passion, your techniques and the lures you use, and gain visibility.
